21-12-2017

On 13th September, the Commission has unveiled an Industrial Policy Strategy that aims at empowering European industries to continue delivering sustainable growth and jobs. In his address, President Jean-Claude Juncker stated: "I want to make our industry stronger and more competitive. The new Industrial Policy Strategy should help our industries stay or become the world leader in innovation, digitisation and decarbonisation." The strong industrial focus of all of its policies has been complemented by sector-specific measures. With the EU Industrial Policy Strategy, the Commission now brings together all existing and new initiatives into a comprehensive industrial strategy. It also clarifies the tasks ahead for all actors involved. The main new elements of the EU Industrial Policy Strategy include, among others, measures to reinforce a new series of actions on Circular Economy, including a strategy on plastics and measures to improve the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into bio-based products and bio-energy (autumn 2017). The Strategy also includes a revised list of critical raw materials where the Commission will continue to help ensure the secure, sustainable and affordable supply for the EU manufacturing industry (adopted on 13 September 2017). Putting this holistic strategy into practice is a shared responsibility. Its success depends on the efforts and cooperation of the EU institutions, Member States, regions and most importantly on the active role of the industry itself. Therefore, more than 80 industrial associations, and among them also CEI BOIS, the leading EU woodprocessing industry federation, have signed the Joint Declaration for an ambitious EU industrial strategy, in order to show that they "are ready to step up the cooperation with the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Competitiveness Council to define and implement this ambitious and coordinated European industrial strategy that will help safeguard the world leadership of European manufacturers and jobs in Europe".